I think enough time has passed that I can reveal a secret. At the time of the Movie's release, I worked in a mall across the hall from an arcade. Whenever their machines would malfunction, I would fix them. they always opened the machine doors for me and clicked off lots of credits. When the Tron machine arrived, the instructions said that they were to put it in the back room and not to put it out on the floor until the movie's opening day. they invited me over to play the game in the back room every night after closing. We played for hours every night for the next week. On opening day, everyone around me watching me play the game was amazed at how good I was on the first day!!
@@denimadept Probably but I bet it wouldn't feel as rewarding to build a new Tron cabinet as it probably does to save and restore one like this. Not only will the cabinet be special to Tod now but this cabinet which tons of people have probably got memories of playing at their arcade will continue on for a while longer now. Granted the original guts are gone but quite often even non-working things can be sentimental to people. Some of the people who even played on this very cabinet may see this and be glad it got an extra life.
I really didn't expect myself to sit here and watch the entire hour and 50 minutes, but it was so well put together. Awesome job - and game at that. LOVE the movies. Awesome stuff.
I'd have taken off a larger chunk just to save time. I love restoring things, but actually recompressing the chipboard to its original form ...a bit too much for me. But it's nice to see someone be so meticulous. I plan not to restore a cabinet, but to create a copy of the millepede cabaret, with modern replacement CPU (Pi or PC) but with a CRT.
@@tcurtis49 I make/restore guitar speaker cabinets. I wouldn't have been that patient. LOL I would have measured [and re-measured] to remake the cabinet from scratch out of birch ply.
When I saw the condition of that cab I thought there's no way you're saving that thing, might as well just rebuild the cab. Boy was I wrong, you did a great job!
@@tcurtis49 I'm 40 minutes in and loving it! But, when you started replacing the art, I immediately wondered why you didn't do it all from scratch. You clearly have the skills! Maybe I'll find out later in the video?
Rather than use BONDO Maybe check out DURA-GLASS, (Old Timers called it "Kitty-Hair") it's like dark green thick resin with fiberglass hairs in it and it spreads like bondo, but dries hard like a rock, not so gummy like Bondo - you can even drill and thread it The problem with that style of Glazing putty, is it shrinks in a few months or a year under the finish and will leave a noticeable divot everywhere you apply it, More Modern 2-part Glazing ICING you mix with hardener it more stable
Well damn that was impressive. The final result is amazing. The work that went into this was unreal but such a good job on the video too. The music was just slapping. Kept me enjoying it much more than I would have just hearing a voice over. I have very fond memories of this game. Not only was the movie my introduction to computer graphics. It set in motion a life long love of computers and graphics. I dreamed of one day making 3D graphics as amazing as those from the movie. I didn't know at the time but very little was actual computer graphics. Some intense hand painted visual effects work done on this movie. Had no idea they would date so fast and things would just keep on getting more wildly advanced. Anyway the game! I didn't really like any of it except the light cycle part. That's why you played this game. There was a very impressive disc throwing game that had a Star Wars like cabinet where you stood inside it that I remember being very immersive. That was a much better game but remembering the light cycles from the movie and then playing the computer game version. In your mind you were racing as close to the real thing as was possible for a kid. Its always shocking to see such older games revealed to be so primitive when you remember them as being so much more. Love the final lighting, that's how I remember it. Very low lit arcade so the machines really popped with those CRT's and the lighting in the cabinets. Once again, amazing work!
Can't believe you didn't just cut the lower 6" off the cab. Those pixels errors at 1:42:14 are factory! Hopefully you didn't spend too much cash on swapping in new RAMs trying to remove them!
It may have been easier in the long run to cut off the bottom, at least labor-wise, but I looked at it more as a challenge to see what I could do with it from a repair standpoint. But certainly another way of dealing with this kind of issue. I suspected the pixel errors were factory but wasn’t 100% sure-those ram chips are around $1.25 a piece and I figured I should stock some for future projects anyway. The video board is now on the outside due to the high score save kit and are socketed so it was no big deal to experiment. Hope you enjoyed the video and cool name-we had a SpacePort arcade nearby growing up :)
Amazing work, as a former vending / videogame / pinball repair tech, you did much more work than our 'professional' jobs. Congrats, and wonderful work.
Much appreciated. Time is not money when it’s just a hobby so I can take a little longer with the repairs and restorations, and sometimes go a little overboard. Thanks!
Great restoration! And despite the length of the video I never felt the need to fast forward because your editing and pacing is spot on. I know this was a lot of work. Great job!
I remember when I first saw this movie, I thought it would be so AWESOME to live in a loft above my own full arcade. My friends would have been so envious.
I am 25 years old. I love you videos. What you do for the retro community is invaluable to us, whether most people my age know it not. The same goes for the 8-bit guy, adrian black, and all the other retro hobbyists out there. Your knowledge is invaluable. I know these are just video games, but they are a key part of history, so thank you.
I owned a coin-op route business from 1993 to 1999 with many locations from fun centers to convenience stores and any place that would let us put a machine in. That's where I first cut my teeth learning electronics diagnostics and repair and all kinds of other things. I purchased Randy Fromm's Arcade School on VHS, watched those and spent a good deal of time in the back of the Colorado Game Exchange with the repair techs learning from them. I moved on to other ventures, but I'll always have a deep love for arcades and arcade machines. You did a top notch job restoring this Tron! I really appreciate that you did everything properly and didn't do any hack jobs like I see a few other arcade (and automotive) channels do consistently. You earned a sub!
The hack that really grates on me is when they encourage sanding on point contacts/switches which will make them work temporarily but removes the thin high quality contact alloy metal exposing the cheap metal underneath that degrades quickly. The guy I purchased my first few machines from told me to sand those contacts with a nail file to clean them, and I completely ruined an antique electro-mechanical pinball machine doing that not long after. It was one of the techs at the CGE that taught me that contacts need cleaning, not sanding, and that the proper way is any chemical or non-abrasive that will remove gunk and polish but not damage the contact finish, one of his common tools was a simple pink eraser, sometimes with some contact cleaner; a pink eraser and D5 is my go to now. Some people laugh in my face when I try to teach them this eraser trick, but it works quick and easy without any damage. This works on any metal contact, points, edge connectors, pins, etc.
Thanks! I try to do what's best in the long run as much as possible by listening to the pros but always learning new things as I go. I've used a pink eraser forever cleaning contacts--I still do it from time to time, but once I got used to using a fiberglass brush and deoxit I've just stuck with it. Much appreciated and I am in the middle of some interesting projects right now that I can hopefully detail before long.
@@tcurtis49 I may have to try one of those fiberglass brushes, it looks like they work great. Everything I've watched you do from cabinet repair on that old dodgy fiber board to your ability to diagnose and decipher a schematic to get those crazy wonky old boards running if I was still running a coin-op route I would hire you immediately. I do think you've moved beyond just a hobbyist, you do a lot better job than several arcade channels that tout themselves as professional. If I didn't have so much going on right now I would be doing a cap kit on my stand up Double Dragon, you've kinda given me the bug again.
That's very kind and I've picked up a lot from doing it for so long. I started buying arcade games at auctions in the mid 1990s while in dental school in Indianapolis. I've always been a technology nerd and a computer programmer so that helped me understand the technical side of things. The rest has been trial and error, seeing what other people are doing, and having some artistic and hand coordination skills from being an orthodontist. But it really comes down to patience and taking things one step at a time. I appreciate the thought and hope you have fun when you get to the cap kit--I have 2 G07s to rebuild as part of my ongoing projects this weekend myself that I've been putting off.
I ask my self if it’s worth all the time and effort you put into restoring it, when starting from scratch seems the best option. But I guess you like the challenge and having a bit of history in your hands. Either way I admire the patience and dedication you have.
It’s all for fun. I enjoy the challenge. If I didn’t, I certainly wouldn’t do these kind of restorations as they certainly wouldn’t be financially worth all those labor hours :)
One of the iconic arcade machines of my day, I'm insanely jealous of your abilities to get this from a messed up carcass to a cabinet that wouldn't look out of place in the mid 80's when I played them to death. Much respect man.
I'm always on the lookout for games that had some meaning for me. Getting them back to where I can feel those same feelings from walking around in an arcade in the 80s is really rewarding. I appreciate the kind words :)
Great work, but I have to say, I'm kind of surprised you did not rebuild the entire cabinet. You got all those killer tools to use, and clearly, you have the skill set. I guess maybe for resale, it's better to say it's still an original cabinet as opposed to one that you built.
Could easily have done that but my goal is always to preserve as much of the original as I can. And this one I was keeping so it was worth the extra effort.
It's unfortunate that the arcade experience only lasted for a short period of time. It was a great place to hang out and of course we had the yogurt shop next door so that made it all the better. How's the music of the time period said where have all the Good times gone.
Next time use redgaurd on bottom of cabinets before you paint them. If water happens to get on them again then they will be sealed up. Also use mineral spirits instead of goo gone for adhesive cleanup. Great job!
I have some very fond memories of playing this game. Sadly it has never been included in any official, licensed arcade compilations, and it is unplayable on MAME because of the required spinner control. ETA: I would have thought that deterioated particleboard was beyond salvage. I am very impressed with the results!
Thanks! It is tough on an emulator to get the experience. It’s one reason I try to look for games to keep that are unique with their controls. But I’ll take anything in need of love :)
Hello Tod. I was looking through my YT home feed and saw this video. I clicked on it and was ready to see your journey from start to finish. I enjoyed the editing and production and seeing you bring this old classic back from the trash heap. Thank you very much for this informative, enjoyable trek. I've subscribed to your channel and look forward to going through your archives and seeing all of the new videos you produce.
That’s very kind. I’m glad you find these enjoyable to watch-my main goal is to just have people feel like they are on the same journey of discovery with me as I go along. I have a couple of video game collecting videos to get to but am keeping my eyes open for the next epic arcade game restoration now that the weather is starting to warm up.
I used to repair arcade games, and all I can say is, be careful with that fragile blue joystick! Many of them were replaced with sturdier black joysticks, but the blue ones look great Purple cleaner from Home Depot works great for cleaning PCBs. Soak without diluting, but ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES because it will eat the traces off the board if you wait too long. Then wash thoroughly with water
They certainly do! The whole cabinet is pretty special. Cool that you have that repair background-I think they are definitely prone to breakdown but fun to figure out.
@@tcurtis49I used to build games too. Built a Pac Man full upright game from scratch when I was 17. Later, I designed games and wrote software. I miss those days. Great job on the refurb! That's you, right?
@@tcurtis49 I started doing electronics in 1979, but once I started understanding processor theory, I found the need to learn to code. Now I code in Assembly, C++, C#, and iOS Swift. I left arcade games in the 1990's and started designing casino games, but now I just code in C# and write casino player tracking systems. If I had my wish, I'd love to design hardware and software for a new modern pinball. I used to design arcade redemption games, but I did the operating system for a prototype pinball back in the early 90's, which I built. The auditing side of casino gaming is ok, but it's not "glamorous" like game coding.
I know I'm late to this video... But I must say, you are an arcade hero! You rescued one of my favorite arcade games and did a beautiful job giving Tron some well deserved TLC. 🤗 These games deserve to be taken care of and appreciated. Thank you for posting this !
You’re not late-none of my videos gained any traction until recently. I was almost at the point of not making any more. But seeing the great response over the last month or two has been really rewarding. I’m in deep on several projects right now so more to come :) Thanks!
It seems like I get a lot of that with my projects and you can definitely fix it, but it takes quite a bit of time and effort. Glad you liked the video!
These restoration videos are an absolute joy; this was the perfect thing to watch on a Sunday morning. Can't wait to see your work on the Pole Position cabinet.
Thanks so much! Pole Position is not quite as intense so hopefully will be a little shorter video to put together. And I still have to wrap up the restore :)
Man!!.. that's beautiful, I can still remember the spot where the machine was on my (then) local arcade, so many tokens but so many happy hours!!, I miss those arcade times. Excellent restoration btw! congrats!.
This is so impressive. Not much phases me anymore these days, having been on the internet for so long now, but this craftsmanship and level of bravery to take this daunting project on in the first place, truly amazed me in the realest sense of the word.
I’m glad to help redeem the internet, at least for today :) Thanks for the nice compliment. Daunting is probably the best word to describe what I thought when I first saw it in person.
Thanks! Yes, you can, but if you have a big workshop with plenty of tools it’s often easier to just cut new pieces. But I like the challenge and the preservation aspect :)
Fascinating video! Maaan, Tron was easily the most bad-ass looking arcade game with the black lighting, glowing joystick and the trippy electronic sounds.
This brings back a flood of memories. I remember watching my cousin playing the TRON arcade game at the theater and then seeing the movie. My nine year old mind was blown. I know the arcade game came out in August of 1980 (a full month after the film release) so it would have probably been September when we saw the movie. Thanks for bringing back this great piece of 80’s culture. Now, if I had just held on to all those Battlestar Gallactica toys ………
Honestly, that is the best restoration video I have ever watched. I am an avid Tron film follower and to watch you practically rebuild it from start to finish was amazing.
Found my way here through the algorithm and what a neat video! I appreciate the in-depth nature of the video and that machine turned out beautifully! Well done!
Outstanding work man! You desperatly need a bigger room for the Arcade :). Please keep the restorations videos coming. Cheers from Brazil / Rio de Janeiro.
My wife keeps trying to get me to add onto the house but there’s nowhere to go :) I keep finding ways to add more but I’m about at the limit for sure! Thanks for watching from beautiful Brazil!
Clicked on this thinking it'd be a short 5 minutes or so. Stayed glued to the tube watching this to the end and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks for taking the time and effort documenting your restoration adventure for us all. Absolutely amazing! I wish you luck in future restorations and banana production.
Thanks! I knew I was doing something risky making them so long but it’s hard to feel like you’ve been a part of the journey on a short recap. I’m glad there are others like me that want to experience the whole process.
Lol thats not an amateur effort, thats a labour of professional multidisciplinary love, kudos👍😄 Editing, flow, information, presentation and clarity were top notch, another kudos. Looks like the algorithm of fate has chosen you after 6 months of baking😂 well deserved. Final kudos goes for surname and age demographic signed p curtis, bloody old, uk 😂
Glad you liked it and it has certainly been weird watching the channel get somewhat popular out of nowhere, but I keep making the kind of content I like to watch. Cheers to another Curtis- I’m about 50/50 Irish/English with a dash of German mixed in :)
@@tcurtis49 sweet, I'm onboard for that, 50/50 English, trini with a dash of Belgium, makes me the slightly more exotic, infinitely less skilled and capable branch of the Curtis dendrology 😄 Good luck with the channel hopefully it might put you back in the black🤣👍
I always enjoy these types of videos. Great work done here. I just started exploring my interest in arcades and seeing all the work done here is amazing. Theres so much that goes on here from understanding pcbs, woodworking, soldering, etc. Id be proud to do a quarter of it
Thanks so much! Pretty much everything I know how to do comes from being forced to do it, so jump in and start having some fun with old machines. I’m just a few days away from releasing the Pole Position restoration that was also pretty intense. So much fun bringing these back to life :)
Thats what i need to do and get myself in a situation and get myself a machine. Although my girlfriend would probably not appreciate seeing a full sized cabinet in the middle of the living room. Looking forward to your polar position restore coming up. Started learning the basics of pcbs and practicing more on soldering. May take a look at some other material from sources like Randy Fromm i just find this fascinating.
I saw Tron in the theater as a kid. We were all blown away by the computer graphics. I also played the game when it showed up in the arcade. It was hard to play, iirc.
Thank you, Tod. This video popped up in my feed. I am a sucker for nostalgia video games in cabinets. Tron is top shelf. Sit down Star Wars is the Holy Grail!
I guess I'm having a bit of the Mandela Effect. I always thought the joystick cover glowed under black light. I probably pumped several hundred dollars in quarters in this game over my lifetime. Great restoration and great memories. Thank you for preserving a little bit of gaming history.
I kind of thought so as well but could never prove it, and the original I got definitely either never glowed or lost that ability. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Watching this, I feel like you put just as many hours into editing as you did for the entire restoration! Not to mention all the setup...lighting (I noticed), tripods, etc. And then I look...you added chapters in the description. And music credits, with links. And then you spent more time, editing and uploading another version, with "softer" music, because like 2 people complained that the music is distracting?! So I went and watched the rest of your videos, and I will say this: 1) Remind Mrs. Tod she is a goddess 2) It appears your arcade is missing several games :-( Please let us know what games are missing, so we can help you find suitable [absolutely derelict] examples, so you can [make more restoration videos] achieve inner peace. If you encounter issues along the way, repeat from step 1. EZ.
That’s quite a compliment! And I’ll pass that along to my goddess wife :) Yes, editing takes a long time-there’s often several hours of raw footage and it takes some time figuring out how to show the details without dragging it out too long. I’m nearly done editing the next video but have a little footage left to film first. I am missing Dragon’s Lair, for one, but have another of my favorites torn apart in the garage awaiting its turn in the spotlight. And another restoration project that is almost complete and ready to start the video editing process. So I’m keeping busy. Thanks!
Lol the banana outro.... never heard of putting banana trees in the garage before...I live in a slightly warmer climate though... Amazing restoration btw!
I wondered if anyone was watching my outros…I have a quick video about the banana trees and my quest to get a banana to grow. Garage is full of them right now but just a few weeks away from getting them back outside. Thanks for watching!
I'm impressed. I saw the water damage of that particle board and was thinking "use the cabined to make a replacement template, outsource for the graphics" but that would have been even more expensive I guess. Makes sense to have done the resin and filler pours. Well done sir, and you've taught me a thing or 2
I was impressed by the result and will likely try it again on my next project. But it would have been perfectly logical to just cut new sides. I certainly like to see what I can save whenever possible and was glad to keep the original sideart on it. Thanks!
Sigh....I wanna go to Tod's house. He's got what we all wanted back in the day. I can practically smell that room. Anyone else remember that smell? That crisp smell of ozone. There was no greater feeling than walking into an arcade with 3 bucks in my hand.
Awesome job, Tod! I found a Tron out in Columbus, Ohio last year for $500, and it needs some love. It works, but has no sound. The joystick is off a Xenophobe (I might get away with just swapping the shell). The back doors aren't original, and need vent cutouts. And the side art needs touch-ups like yours. Its videos like yours that really help me stay motivated and hopeful. Tron is the one game, I'm not keeping, though. My brother always wanted a Tron since he saw the movie as a kid in the 80's. So after I finish fixing it up, its going to mysteriously show up in his living room. Just subscribed!
That is a fantastic restoration job! Congratulations on saving a classic that frustrated me endlessly as a teen 😎. I am glad to see that you outbid the other person for the cabinet because I have a feeling that you did a better job than anyone else would have done.
Tod, awesome video man! Hoping to collect and restore arcades in the future after I get out of the military. I can't justify getting into the hobby when I move every three years, but I can learn and live vicariously through you and the other arcade UA-camrs. Looking forward to the Pole Position restore, definitely on my grail list, love that game!
Thanks for the nice comments! Hopefully you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy this kind of stuff when you get settled. Pole Position has been rough wrapping up but I’m getting there :)
Wow, I just ran into your channel and I must say you have the BEST arcade restoration videos out there by far! Please keep up the good work and will be looking forward to more of those videos!
Some people just have the talent to do this! I would have just found the plans and built a new cab from scratch to go with all the innards. I did this for a Star Wars Arcade cockpit, though ended up making it a MAME multicade... I just love the Star Wars cab and it's a unique look and machine to have. I have been eyeing the A1Up cab just to have the aesthetics in my game room of Tron. But back to you, phenomenal job in reconstruction, detail and explanation. You spent $2,600 to rebuild this beauty, but your time and effort are worth much more that you put into it. Glad to see what was left of this classic shell of a machine turned back into a work of art and playing again. The MCP thanks you!
Haha, thanks! I’m more intrigued by the challenge and learning new skills than having a finished product. But it is a bonus! People do make Trons from scratch and newer parts which is fine but not my style. I have a friend who always wants me to pick up Star Wars but they are really expensive. Maybe if I find one that’s been laying in a field…
@@tcurtis49 Oh, they're out there. I've seen some just as bad as your TRON looked! So sad to see the dilapidated carcasses of classic games. I mean, how do people let them get that way? Abandoned, alone... they need people like you to rescue them. :)
This just randomly popped up on my home screen so thought I'd give it a look because I remember playing this game with my Dad on holidays. Didn't however expect that I'd sit fixated for the whole video though. Great work on the video and amazing work on the restoration. Saved from the tip and looking beautiful. You've got a new sub here and gonna sit and watch some more of your videos.
Bruh! Your channel deserves so much more attention. Your entire setup and talent are my life goals. I love the arcade room, the carpet, the cabinets, the attention to detail and dedication to doing things properly, everything! Fantastic vid. Watched the entire thing top to bottom.
Thanks for the kind words. Traffic has picked up a ton on my channel over the last week so hopefully more people can see it. It’s sort of my life goal as well and I’m lucky to have been working on it for so long now :)
I went in pretty blindly on this one with no previous Tron experience. Was super lucky to pick up the bundle of parts and have a working board to begin with. Was a very fun and satisfying project. I still have to rely on the experts for advice and it’s always been a kind and gracious community, even going back to the old newsgroup days. Thanks for the compliment!
Beautiful. I restored a pair of San Francisco RUSH The Rock a few years back. I wanted to keep them after it was done, but they ended up going to a good home instead. I just found your channel today and I'm already thinking about getting back into arcade restoration again.
I do know my cap kits I use are high-quality Nichicon from arcadepartsandrepair.com but not much more than that. The game boards themselves will often have specific cap kits as well, although I don’t think most board repairers worry too much about them unless there’s a specific problem, particularly boards like Gorf that blow out tantalum fuses with regularity. I’ll keep accumulating knowledge about it. Thanks!
Outstanding video!! Great production value . I know it takes time to film and edit and you did a great job . I am surprised I just found your channel. I will subscribe. I think it was cool that you fixed that roached out cabinet and didnt just make new sides. I wasnt sure how you were going to do it but it turned out great. Also thought it was cool you kept the side art. I would like to see your Turbo sit down . That was my favorite game.
Thanks! I try to make videos as interesting as possible so that certainly requires a lot of filming and editing down. But definitely for an audience that wants something deeper than just a quick summary. Glad you liked it and hopefully I can keep finding fun stuff to make videos about. You can see a little more of Turbo in my collection walkthrough video. It’s one of my early best memories of going to the arcade when I was a kid.
Hey Tod! Your restoration of the Tron video game arcade is absolutely stunning. I was captivated by the transformation you achieved, and I want to thank you for sharing it with us. Your work is truly inspiring. It's incredible to hear that one of these units made it all the way to Zimbabwe Bulawayo in the early 1990s. It's a testament to the lasting impact and allure of these classic arcade games. The fact that they reached places like Zimbabwe truly showcases the power of imagination and the universal appeal of gaming. I'm in awe of the value you placed on preserving this piece of history. It's not just about the monetary costs, but the intrinsic value that these games hold for so many people. You've done an amazing job in saving precious memories and preserving the history of gaming. Sending warm greetings and best wishes from Cape Town, South Africa. Keep up the fantastic work, Tod!
Thanks so much and that is crazy. It’s definitely a special part of arcade history. Glad to have a viewer from so far away-amazing how video games help tie the world together :)
Looks like a KAGA monitor if my memory serves me. I used to fix a lot of CRTs, but in this case, this is one time where I would stray from original and go LCD
It's a pretty straightforward Wells-Gardner K4900 which is luckily not too hard to work on. This monitor came from a Tron cab that had been switched to LCD and turned into a multi-game arcade unit.
@@tcurtis49 I remember the wells gardeners with the flyback mounted off the PCB, on one of the metal mounting bars. Those flybacks never failed, but the G07-CB0 CRTs had flybacks that blew all the time. I started soldering a 10K ohm 1/2 watt resistor across the bulk cap because Electrohome put the fuse after the bulk cap so it stayed fully charged even when the fuse blew. The 10K would discharge the cap safely. Bad design.
@@rickpontificates3406 It’s pretty standard practice to replace the flyback any time you do even a cap kit on the G07-CB0s-they do fail all the time. You can see how I handled the B+ cap in one on my old Atari 5200 kiosk video as that was in the unit. Fuse blown and monitor probably hadn’t been on in years but huge pop shorting across it with a screwdriver. If you don’t have any advance warning you can really get a surprise. Definitely bad design.
Impressive restoration. I really appreciated the inclusion of all of the fails and troubleshooting. Too many restoration videos skip the "warts." Well done.
🙌 Wow, what an awesome restoration job! Total nostalgia. We should also take a moment to say thank you to all the wives out there who support their spouses craftmanship! Mine let's me do all kinds of shenanigans, string parts and various items around the house, and use our living space for my "projects". Thank you 'cool' wives!!! 😎
Now you've built a plastic case out of the chipboard case. For the cost of repairing the wood you can get brand new wood ;). But at least you can say that it's almost original. Almost a sculpture. Well done. It'll last another 40 years. 🤩 No one can say that you have no respect for the Tron machine 👍
Well, only a small bit is resin (relatively), and that's what chipboard contains anyway, and I added the wood chips back, but I get what you mean :) I really considered cutting new sides but thought I'd give it a try and I was really pretty happy with the repair. Easy? No... Satisfying? Yes :)
Great video! I love watching arcade restorations and TRON is my all time favorite movie and arcade cabinet. One small note: Get yourself some flux for doing anything with soldering. It will help immensely in keeping the solder joints clean and prevents cold solder joints - which I saw you make with the first re-capping.
Thanks! The flux is built into the solder and flows easily. Perhaps it would be better to have it separate but I definitely love the stuff I use. I’ll research it a bit.
The “memory glitches” are used by the processor because they ran out of RAM during development, so they used the video ram, it’s supposed to be hidden by monitor adjustments just like you did!
I never played Satan’s Hollow but certainly gave many quarters to Tron. Gorf was my favorite of that era, although I remember standing in line to play Pac-Man while it was popular.
That was a great restoration on the Tron arcade game!!! I love it. It brings back memories of when I was a kid playing in the arcade at the mall back in the early to mid and even late 80's.
OH MY GOD! I wanted to watch a Tron arcade build while I put together my Arcade1Up Tron at home and suddenly I see the mystery seller from the end of Nintendo Quest! Very happy to find your channel! What a killer collection! Funny if tragic story: I once drove up to help my buddy Callan with his arcade repairs at his warehouse maaaaaaany years ago, and I drove up to his loading dock just in time to see a full size environmental Discs of Tron wobble off the ramp and take a header straight onto the concrete. It was a high loading dock and the machine didn't stand a chance. Exploded like it was made of Legos. Talk about traumatizing. I'm glad to see this classic Tron get some TLC! Cheers!
Thanks! The channel is growing steadily now…consider that for the 1st 6 months the Tron video only had 1000 total views. So I’m happy people are watching now at all! Thanks!
One of my college buddies and I played this game every day after classes for probably a year. I absolutely loved it. Great job with the restoration. I just found your channel and I look forward to other restorations. thanks
GREAT VIDEO!!! I love your format. No BS joking between a bunch of hicks (like in some restoration vids I've seen), just straight-forward "Here's what's wrong and this is my solution". I was wondering what you would do about those side panels. Simple, yet effective. Ingenious even. Also, I have never heard of Atlanta, Illinois. I Googlemapped it and saw where it was. Such a small burg I'd never have known it was there and I spent a year and a half at a crap radio station in Decatur just a short distance away. I am now subscribed and will be watching more. Pleased to meet you.
I think enough time has passed that I can reveal a secret. At the time of the Movie's release, I worked in a mall across the hall from an arcade. Whenever their machines would malfunction, I would fix them. they always opened the machine doors for me and clicked off lots of credits. When the Tron machine arrived, the instructions said that they were to put it in the back room and not to put it out on the floor until the movie's opening day. they invited me over to play the game in the back room every night after closing. We played for hours every night for the next week. On opening day, everyone around me watching me play the game was amazed at how good I was on the first day!!
I think you are probably safe! That is really cool, for sure!
I'M TELLING!!!!!!!!!!
Report to the MCP game grid.
Expect a letter from Disney's lawyers.
You were basically a sandpit tester, excellent.
Wow! That wasn't just a restoration, it was a resurrection! Excellent work!
Thanks! And I kind of agree- it was something!
surely there must be better caninets out there 🥸
@@ProtoType99468 probably for much more money. I wonder if he could've built a new one from scratch with the maple plywood more easily.
@@denimadept Probably but I bet it wouldn't feel as rewarding to build a new Tron cabinet as it probably does to save and restore one like this. Not only will the cabinet be special to Tod now but this cabinet which tons of people have probably got memories of playing at their arcade will continue on for a while longer now. Granted the original guts are gone but quite often even non-working things can be sentimental to people. Some of the people who even played on this very cabinet may see this and be glad it got an extra life.
I really didn't expect myself to sit here and watch the entire hour and 50 minutes, but it was so well put together. Awesome job - and game at that. LOVE the movies. Awesome stuff.
That’s great! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)
I thought the same thing. And then did the exact same thing. Then I ended up watching the Movie Tron in the afternoon 🤣
I was of the same thought speaking from 12 June 24
Same here. I took some breaks, but the video was strangely meditative.
Lol, same. It’s 1:40 am. Time to crash.
That water damage was beyond what I would have considered saveable. Kudos to you for brining it back from it's watery grave!
Yeah, I felt the same way for sure. I was close to cutting new sides but wanted to see what was possible. It certainly worked out in the end.
@@tcurtis49 The results are amazing! Very satisfying to see you repair the bottom like that.
I'd have taken off a larger chunk just to save time. I love restoring things, but actually recompressing the chipboard to its original form ...a bit too much for me. But it's nice to see someone be so meticulous.
I plan not to restore a cabinet, but to create a copy of the millepede cabaret, with modern replacement CPU (Pi or PC) but with a CRT.
@@tcurtis49 I make/restore guitar speaker cabinets. I wouldn't have been that patient. LOL I would have measured [and re-measured] to remake the cabinet from scratch out of birch ply.
These videos are way under viewed for the time it took to complete them. I hope we can get the word out.
When I saw the condition of that cab I thought there's no way you're saving that thing, might as well just rebuild the cab. Boy was I wrong, you did a great job!
It would have been easier in the end but I’m glad to keep it as original as I can. Thanks!
@@tcurtis49 I'm 40 minutes in and loving it! But, when you started replacing the art, I immediately wondered why you didn't do it all from scratch. You clearly have the skills! Maybe I'll find out later in the video?
Actually, the answer is obvious. This made a great video!
@@halloweenengineer6283yeah there's just so much rot, fresh cab makes a lot more sense
You are not wrong he should have use used the old box for the dimensions and went with new wood. There's a time it's not worth saving
Today...it is truly a treasure to be able to play those old arcade games of the early eighties.For someone who is about 55 now....its very nostalgic..
Definitely!
@@djsi38t I'm with ya. I thought it was gone forever.
Rather than use BONDO Maybe check out DURA-GLASS, (Old Timers called it "Kitty-Hair") it's like dark green thick resin with fiberglass hairs in it and it spreads like bondo, but dries hard like a rock, not so gummy like Bondo - you can even drill and thread it
The problem with that style of Glazing putty, is it shrinks in a few months or a year under the finish and will leave a noticeable divot everywhere you apply it, More Modern 2-part Glazing ICING you mix with hardener it more stable
Good tips! Thanks!
Well damn that was impressive. The final result is amazing. The work that went into this was unreal but such a good job on the video too. The music was just slapping. Kept me enjoying it much more than I would have just hearing a voice over. I have very fond memories of this game. Not only was the movie my introduction to computer graphics. It set in motion a life long love of computers and graphics. I dreamed of one day making 3D graphics as amazing as those from the movie. I didn't know at the time but very little was actual computer graphics. Some intense hand painted visual effects work done on this movie. Had no idea they would date so fast and things would just keep on getting more wildly advanced. Anyway the game! I didn't really like any of it except the light cycle part. That's why you played this game. There was a very impressive disc throwing game that had a Star Wars like cabinet where you stood inside it that I remember being very immersive. That was a much better game but remembering the light cycles from the movie and then playing the computer game version. In your mind you were racing as close to the real thing as was possible for a kid. Its always shocking to see such older games revealed to be so primitive when you remember them as being so much more. Love the final lighting, that's how I remember it. Very low lit arcade so the machines really popped with those CRT's and the lighting in the cabinets. Once again, amazing work!
I agree! I felt the very same way about it. Thanks!
Can't believe you didn't just cut the lower 6" off the cab. Those pixels errors at 1:42:14 are factory! Hopefully you didn't spend too much cash on swapping in new RAMs trying to remove them!
It may have been easier in the long run to cut off the bottom, at least labor-wise, but I looked at it more as a challenge to see what I could do with it from a repair standpoint. But certainly another way of dealing with this kind of issue. I suspected the pixel errors were factory but wasn’t 100% sure-those ram chips are around $1.25 a piece and I figured I should stock some for future projects anyway. The video board is now on the outside due to the high score save kit and are socketed so it was no big deal to experiment. Hope you enjoyed the video and cool name-we had a SpacePort arcade nearby growing up :)
Amazing work, as a former vending / videogame / pinball repair tech, you did much more work than our 'professional' jobs. Congrats, and wonderful work.
Much appreciated. Time is not money when it’s just a hobby so I can take a little longer with the repairs and restorations, and sometimes go a little overboard. Thanks!
Great restoration! And despite the length of the video I never felt the need to fast forward because your editing and pacing is spot on. I know this was a lot of work. Great job!
Thanks! Yes, a lot of work…but worth it if people get enjoyment out of watching. I appreciate the compliment!
I just now realized that the MCP was voiced by David Warner (who also played Sark and Dilinger). Amazing actor with a long career, died in 2022 at 80.
I remember when I first saw this movie, I thought it would be so AWESOME to live in a loft above my own full arcade. My friends would have been so envious.
I know-it would have been the ultimate :)
I am 25 years old. I love you videos. What you do for the retro community is invaluable to us, whether most people my age know it not. The same goes for the 8-bit guy, adrian black, and all the other retro hobbyists out there. Your knowledge is invaluable. I know these are just video games, but they are a key part of history, so thank you.
Glad you like them! Thanks!
I owned a coin-op route business from 1993 to 1999 with many locations from fun centers to convenience stores and any place that would let us put a machine in. That's where I first cut my teeth learning electronics diagnostics and repair and all kinds of other things. I purchased Randy Fromm's Arcade School on VHS, watched those and spent a good deal of time in the back of the Colorado Game Exchange with the repair techs learning from them. I moved on to other ventures, but I'll always have a deep love for arcades and arcade machines.
You did a top notch job restoring this Tron! I really appreciate that you did everything properly and didn't do any hack jobs like I see a few other arcade (and automotive) channels do consistently. You earned a sub!
The hack that really grates on me is when they encourage sanding on point contacts/switches which will make them work temporarily but removes the thin high quality contact alloy metal exposing the cheap metal underneath that degrades quickly. The guy I purchased my first few machines from told me to sand those contacts with a nail file to clean them, and I completely ruined an antique electro-mechanical pinball machine doing that not long after.
It was one of the techs at the CGE that taught me that contacts need cleaning, not sanding, and that the proper way is any chemical or non-abrasive that will remove gunk and polish but not damage the contact finish, one of his common tools was a simple pink eraser, sometimes with some contact cleaner; a pink eraser and D5 is my go to now. Some people laugh in my face when I try to teach them this eraser trick, but it works quick and easy without any damage. This works on any metal contact, points, edge connectors, pins, etc.
Thanks! I try to do what's best in the long run as much as possible by listening to the pros but always learning new things as I go. I've used a pink eraser forever cleaning contacts--I still do it from time to time, but once I got used to using a fiberglass brush and deoxit I've just stuck with it. Much appreciated and I am in the middle of some interesting projects right now that I can hopefully detail before long.
@@tcurtis49 I may have to try one of those fiberglass brushes, it looks like they work great.
Everything I've watched you do from cabinet repair on that old dodgy fiber board to your ability to diagnose and decipher a schematic to get those crazy wonky old boards running if I was still running a coin-op route I would hire you immediately. I do think you've moved beyond just a hobbyist, you do a lot better job than several arcade channels that tout themselves as professional.
If I didn't have so much going on right now I would be doing a cap kit on my stand up Double Dragon, you've kinda given me the bug again.
That's very kind and I've picked up a lot from doing it for so long. I started buying arcade games at auctions in the mid 1990s while in dental school in Indianapolis. I've always been a technology nerd and a computer programmer so that helped me understand the technical side of things. The rest has been trial and error, seeing what other people are doing, and having some artistic and hand coordination skills from being an orthodontist. But it really comes down to patience and taking things one step at a time. I appreciate the thought and hope you have fun when you get to the cap kit--I have 2 G07s to rebuild as part of my ongoing projects this weekend myself that I've been putting off.
@@tcurtis49 I'm looking forward to your future videos!
I ask my self if it’s worth all the time and effort you put into restoring it, when starting from scratch seems the best option. But I guess you like the challenge and having a bit of history in your hands. Either way I admire the patience and dedication you have.
It’s all for fun. I enjoy the challenge. If I didn’t, I certainly wouldn’t do these kind of restorations as they certainly wouldn’t be financially worth all those labor hours :)
One of the iconic arcade machines of my day, I'm insanely jealous of your abilities to get this from a messed up carcass to a cabinet that wouldn't look out of place in the mid 80's when I played them to death. Much respect man.
I'm always on the lookout for games that had some meaning for me. Getting them back to where I can feel those same feelings from walking around in an arcade in the 80s is really rewarding. I appreciate the kind words :)
Great work, but I have to say, I'm kind of surprised you did not rebuild the entire cabinet. You got all those killer tools to use, and clearly, you have the skill set. I guess maybe for resale, it's better to say it's still an original cabinet as opposed to one that you built.
Could easily have done that but my goal is always to preserve as much of the original as I can. And this one I was keeping so it was worth the extra effort.
User! . You are the ultimate Game Warrior. End of Line -MCP
Tron had some of the strongest 'vibes' of any arcade cabinet! Nice work Tod!
Thanks! It sure did!
It was very atmospheric.
It's unfortunate that the arcade experience only lasted for a short period of time. It was a great place to hang out and of course we had the yogurt shop next door so that made it all the better. How's the music of the time period said where have all the Good times gone.
It was definitely a unique experience-hard to replicate now.
Next time use redgaurd on bottom of cabinets before you paint them. If water happens to get on them again then they will be sealed up. Also use mineral spirits instead of goo gone for adhesive cleanup. Great job!
I'll check into it. And I usually do use mineral spirits for cleanup but sometimes grab something else depending on my mood :)
This feels like the Tron Cabinet of Theseus. That water damage on the bottom was ROUGH
Lol well when I got ready to bust out the bottom and it just fell out, I knew it was really, really bad :)
I have some very fond memories of playing this game.
Sadly it has never been included in any official, licensed arcade compilations, and it is unplayable on MAME because of the required spinner control.
ETA: I would have thought that deterioated particleboard was beyond salvage. I am very impressed with the results!
Thanks! It is tough on an emulator to get the experience. It’s one reason I try to look for games to keep that are unique with their controls. But I’ll take anything in need of love :)
Hello Tod. I was looking through my YT home feed and saw this video. I clicked on it and was ready to see your journey from start to finish. I enjoyed the editing and production and seeing you bring this old classic back from the trash heap. Thank you very much for this informative, enjoyable trek. I've subscribed to your channel and look forward to going through your archives and seeing all of the new videos you produce.
That’s very kind. I’m glad you find these enjoyable to watch-my main goal is to just have people feel like they are on the same journey of discovery with me as I go along. I have a couple of video game collecting videos to get to but am keeping my eyes open for the next epic arcade game restoration now that the weather is starting to warm up.
I used to repair arcade games, and all I can say is, be careful with that fragile blue joystick! Many of them were replaced with sturdier black joysticks, but the blue ones look great
Purple cleaner from Home Depot works great for cleaning PCBs. Soak without diluting, but ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES because it will eat the traces off the board if you wait too long. Then wash thoroughly with water
They certainly do! The whole cabinet is pretty special. Cool that you have that repair background-I think they are definitely prone to breakdown but fun to figure out.
@@tcurtis49I used to build games too. Built a Pac Man full upright game from scratch when I was 17. Later, I designed games and wrote software. I miss those days. Great job on the refurb! That's you, right?
That was my dream job growing up, designing games and writing software. I still do some of it in my spare time. I grew up as a computer nerd :)
@@tcurtis49 I started doing electronics in 1979, but once I started understanding processor theory, I found the need to learn to code. Now I code in Assembly, C++, C#, and iOS Swift. I left arcade games in the 1990's and started designing casino games, but now I just code in C# and write casino player tracking systems. If I had my wish, I'd love to design hardware and software for a new modern pinball. I used to design arcade redemption games, but I did the operating system for a prototype pinball back in the early 90's, which I built. The auditing side of casino gaming is ok, but it's not "glamorous" like game coding.
I know I'm late to this video... But I must say, you are an arcade hero! You rescued one of my favorite arcade games and did a beautiful job giving Tron some well deserved TLC. 🤗 These games deserve to be taken care of and appreciated. Thank you for posting this !
You’re not late-none of my videos gained any traction until recently. I was almost at the point of not making any more. But seeing the great response over the last month or two has been really rewarding. I’m in deep on several projects right now so more to come :) Thanks!
Wow, awesome restoration. I never thought you can "repair" that swollen particle board that good. Well done!!
It seems like I get a lot of that with my projects and you can definitely fix it, but it takes quite a bit of time and effort. Glad you liked the video!
These restoration videos are an absolute joy; this was the perfect thing to watch on a Sunday morning. Can't wait to see your work on the Pole Position cabinet.
Thanks so much! Pole Position is not quite as intense so hopefully will be a little shorter video to put together. And I still have to wrap up the restore :)
Man!!.. that's beautiful, I can still remember the spot where the machine was on my (then) local arcade, so many tokens but so many happy hours!!, I miss those arcade times. Excellent restoration btw! congrats!.
This is so impressive. Not much phases me anymore these days, having been on the internet for so long now, but this craftsmanship and level of bravery to take this daunting project on in the first place, truly amazed me in the realest sense of the word.
I’m glad to help redeem the internet, at least for today :) Thanks for the nice compliment. Daunting is probably the best word to describe what I thought when I first saw it in person.
I remember Tron in one of my local arcades, about 45 years ago. Glad to see its still appreciated. 😊
It’s a classic!
I had no idea you could fix particle board! You're workmanship is amazing Tod, great stuff! The dubstep and retrowave also slaps 😎
oh and i see you have the SMB3 Pinball! You are a lucky man!! that's my dream unit 😍
Thanks! Yes, you can, but if you have a big workshop with plenty of tools it’s often easier to just cut new pieces. But I like the challenge and the preservation aspect :)
Yeah, I was expecting the cabinet to end up as a Ship of Theseus after the restoration. But it didn't! There is some original material left.
Fascinating video! Maaan, Tron was easily the most bad-ass looking arcade game with the black lighting, glowing joystick and the trippy electronic sounds.
I know, it’s awesome!
This brings back a flood of memories. I remember watching my cousin playing the TRON arcade game at the theater and then seeing the movie. My nine year old mind was blown. I know the arcade game came out in August of 1980 (a full month after the film release) so it would have probably been September when we saw the movie. Thanks for bringing back this great piece of 80’s culture. Now, if I had just held on to all those Battlestar Gallactica toys ………
I have the same kind of memories and it looks like Tron has a special place in many hearts :)
Honestly, that is the best restoration video I have ever watched.
I am an avid Tron film follower and to watch you practically rebuild it from start to finish was amazing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Found my way here through the algorithm and what a neat video! I appreciate the in-depth nature of the video and that machine turned out beautifully! Well done!
I have no idea what the algorithm is doing but I’m happy more people are able to find them now :) Thanks for watching and the kind words!
Outstanding work man! You desperatly need a bigger room for the Arcade :). Please keep the restorations videos coming. Cheers from Brazil / Rio de Janeiro.
My wife keeps trying to get me to add onto the house but there’s nowhere to go :) I keep finding ways to add more but I’m about at the limit for sure! Thanks for watching from beautiful Brazil!
Clicked on this thinking it'd be a short 5 minutes or so. Stayed glued to the tube watching this to the end and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks for taking the time and effort documenting your restoration adventure for us all. Absolutely amazing! I wish you luck in future restorations and banana production.
Thanks! I knew I was doing something risky making them so long but it’s hard to feel like you’ve been a part of the journey on a short recap. I’m glad there are others like me that want to experience the whole process.
Same here. The video was almost finished before I realized the length of the video. Great work on both the machine and keeping the video interesting 🙂
Lol thats not an amateur effort, thats a labour of professional multidisciplinary love, kudos👍😄
Editing, flow, information, presentation and clarity were top notch, another kudos.
Looks like the algorithm of fate has chosen you after 6 months of baking😂 well deserved.
Final kudos goes for surname and age demographic signed p curtis, bloody old, uk 😂
Glad you liked it and it has certainly been weird watching the channel get somewhat popular out of nowhere, but I keep making the kind of content I like to watch. Cheers to another Curtis- I’m about 50/50 Irish/English with a dash of German mixed in :)
@@tcurtis49 sweet, I'm onboard for that, 50/50 English, trini with a dash of Belgium, makes me the slightly more exotic, infinitely less skilled and capable branch of the Curtis dendrology 😄
Good luck with the channel hopefully it might put you back in the black🤣👍
I always enjoy these types of videos. Great work done here. I just started exploring my interest in arcades and seeing all the work done here is amazing. Theres so much that goes on here from understanding pcbs, woodworking, soldering, etc. Id be proud to do a quarter of it
Thanks so much! Pretty much everything I know how to do comes from being forced to do it, so jump in and start having some fun with old machines. I’m just a few days away from releasing the Pole Position restoration that was also pretty intense. So much fun bringing these back to life :)
Thats what i need to do and get myself in a situation and get myself a machine. Although my girlfriend would probably not appreciate seeing a full sized cabinet in the middle of the living room. Looking forward to your polar position restore coming up. Started learning the basics of pcbs and practicing more on soldering. May take a look at some other material from sources like Randy Fromm i just find this fascinating.
I saw Tron in the theater as a kid. We were all blown away by the computer graphics. I also played the game when it showed up in the arcade. It was hard to play, iirc.
It was definitely confusing but I always tried a couple of games when I went to the arcade.
Thank you, Tod. This video popped up in my feed. I am a sucker for nostalgia video games in cabinets. Tron is top shelf. Sit down Star Wars is the Holy Grail!
There was a sit-down Star Wars at our local donut shop growing up, Was awesome!
I guess I'm having a bit of the Mandela Effect. I always thought the joystick cover glowed under black light. I probably pumped several hundred dollars in quarters in this game over my lifetime. Great restoration and great memories. Thank you for preserving a little bit of gaming history.
I kind of thought so as well but could never prove it, and the original I got definitely either never glowed or lost that ability. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I have memories of original trons having those color patterns on the side. Its been a long time since I saw one.
Yes, I have found that it is perfectly normal for Tron and some related games after all.
Watching this, I feel like you put just as many hours into editing as you did for the entire restoration! Not to mention all the setup...lighting (I noticed), tripods, etc. And then I look...you added chapters in the description. And music credits, with links. And then you spent more time, editing and uploading another version, with "softer" music, because like 2 people complained that the music is distracting?! So I went and watched the rest of your videos, and I will say this: 1) Remind Mrs. Tod she is a goddess 2) It appears your arcade is missing several games :-( Please let us know what games are missing, so we can help you find suitable [absolutely derelict] examples, so you can [make more restoration videos] achieve inner peace. If you encounter issues along the way, repeat from step 1. EZ.
That’s quite a compliment! And I’ll pass that along to my goddess wife :) Yes, editing takes a long time-there’s often several hours of raw footage and it takes some time figuring out how to show the details without dragging it out too long. I’m nearly done editing the next video but have a little footage left to film first. I am missing Dragon’s Lair, for one, but have another of my favorites torn apart in the garage awaiting its turn in the spotlight. And another restoration project that is almost complete and ready to start the video editing process. So I’m keeping busy. Thanks!
@georgec9031 - From the goddess wife - thank you ! 🥰
Lol the banana outro.... never heard of putting banana trees in the garage before...I live in a slightly warmer climate though...
Amazing restoration btw!
I wondered if anyone was watching my outros…I have a quick video about the banana trees and my quest to get a banana to grow. Garage is full of them right now but just a few weeks away from getting them back outside. Thanks for watching!
"And we'll make beautiful little solder joints..."
You're like the Bob Ross of Arcade rescue!
I do get pretty chill with the electronic work but probably let a few expletives fly with the cabinet work :)
I'm impressed. I saw the water damage of that particle board and was thinking "use the cabined to make a replacement template, outsource for the graphics" but that would have been even more expensive I guess. Makes sense to have done the resin and filler pours. Well done sir, and you've taught me a thing or 2
I was impressed by the result and will likely try it again on my next project. But it would have been perfectly logical to just cut new sides. I certainly like to see what I can save whenever possible and was glad to keep the original sideart on it. Thanks!
Beautiful! It's so cool that people keep these important pieces of game history alive.
Thanks!
Sigh....I wanna go to Tod's house. He's got what we all wanted back in the day. I can practically smell that room. Anyone else remember that smell? That crisp smell of ozone. There was no greater feeling than walking into an arcade with 3 bucks in my hand.
That smell definitely exists…the sweet scent of nostalgia :)
Awesome job, Tod! I found a Tron out in Columbus, Ohio last year for $500, and it needs some love. It works, but has no sound. The joystick is off a Xenophobe (I might get away with just swapping the shell). The back doors aren't original, and need vent cutouts. And the side art needs touch-ups like yours. Its videos like yours that really help me stay motivated and hopeful. Tron is the one game, I'm not keeping, though. My brother always wanted a Tron since he saw the movie as a kid in the 80's. So after I finish fixing it up, its going to mysteriously show up in his living room. Just subscribed!
That’s awesome! Sounds like a great candidate for restoration. Glad to help motivate and I’m sure your brother will be thrilled with the surprise :)
If your tron restore doesn’t work out. I’m looking for parts.
That is a fantastic restoration job! Congratulations on saving a classic that frustrated me endlessly as a teen 😎. I am glad to see that you outbid the other person for the cabinet because I have a feeling that you did a better job than anyone else would have done.
Tod, awesome video man! Hoping to collect and restore arcades in the future after I get out of the military. I can't justify getting into the hobby when I move every three years, but I can learn and live vicariously through you and the other arcade UA-camrs. Looking forward to the Pole Position restore, definitely on my grail list, love that game!
Thanks for the nice comments! Hopefully you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy this kind of stuff when you get settled. Pole Position has been rough wrapping up but I’m getting there :)
Wow, I just ran into your channel and I must say you have the BEST arcade restoration videos out there by far! Please keep up the good work and will be looking forward to more of those videos!
Thanks! I will keep making them as I find new and interesting games to restore :)
A legendary restoration of THE legendary arcade cabinet. Well done and thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
4:23 😳 My lord.. 😥
Hell of a project! And I can appreciate the gent taking the challenge..
(I wish I had a wood shop with all the fixens.. 🥺 )
I’m glad I married into a woodworking family :) Thanks!
Unreal amazing work. A triumph!
Some people just have the talent to do this! I would have just found the plans and built a new cab from scratch to go with all the innards. I did this for a Star Wars Arcade cockpit, though ended up making it a MAME multicade... I just love the Star Wars cab and it's a unique look and machine to have. I have been eyeing the A1Up cab just to have the aesthetics in my game room of Tron. But back to you, phenomenal job in reconstruction, detail and explanation. You spent $2,600 to rebuild this beauty, but your time and effort are worth much more that you put into it. Glad to see what was left of this classic shell of a machine turned back into a work of art and playing again. The MCP thanks you!
Haha, thanks! I’m more intrigued by the challenge and learning new skills than having a finished product. But it is a bonus! People do make Trons from scratch and newer parts which is fine but not my style. I have a friend who always wants me to pick up Star Wars but they are really expensive. Maybe if I find one that’s been laying in a field…
@@tcurtis49 Oh, they're out there. I've seen some just as bad as your TRON looked! So sad to see the dilapidated carcasses of classic games. I mean, how do people let them get that way? Abandoned, alone... they need people like you to rescue them. :)
This just randomly popped up on my home screen so thought I'd give it a look because I remember playing this game with my Dad on holidays. Didn't however expect that I'd sit fixated for the whole video though. Great work on the video and amazing work on the restoration. Saved from the tip and looking beautiful. You've got a new sub here and gonna sit and watch some more of your videos.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for subbing and I'll keep working on more projects :)
@@tcurtis49 Can't wait to see what you do in the future. Also I'd just like to say I'm majorly jealous of your collection haha.
2.30am here in the UK, just watched it all in complete awe. Very impressive work! Congratulations on a superb job, Tod!
Thanks! Ton of UK viewers lately. That’s great!
@@tcurtis49 Another UK viewer here - great job man! :) Liked and Subscribed.
But beautifull nonetheless, nice job, I need help with my arcade cabs, bringing them back to life…..
Dang, dude. A Tron machine right next to Gauntlet? My two all-time favorites.
I've been lucky to find many of my favorites over the years. Gauntlet is certainly awesome :)
Bruh! Your channel deserves so much more attention. Your entire setup and talent are my life goals. I love the arcade room, the carpet, the cabinets, the attention to detail and dedication to doing things properly, everything!
Fantastic vid. Watched the entire thing top to bottom.
Thanks for the kind words. Traffic has picked up a ton on my channel over the last week so hopefully more people can see it. It’s sort of my life goal as well and I’m lucky to have been working on it for so long now :)
Really nice work. After restoring 3 Trons, I completely understand what you went through. I love your channel. Keep up the great work.
I went in pretty blindly on this one with no previous Tron experience. Was super lucky to pick up the bundle of parts and have a working board to begin with. Was a very fun and satisfying project. I still have to rely on the experts for advice and it’s always been a kind and gracious community, even going back to the old newsgroup days. Thanks for the compliment!
Beautiful. I restored a pair of San Francisco RUSH The Rock a few years back. I wanted to keep them after it was done, but they ended up going to a good home instead. I just found your channel today and I'm already thinking about getting back into arcade restoration again.
Very cool! I love racing games but they take up so much space…
@@tcurtis49 Yeah... That's unfortunately why I don't have them anymore. :)
You have Tron. now you need The Disc of Tron...
Yep, it’s a good one!
The fact that you re-cut the back air slots because they weren't perfectly straight tells me everything I need to know. Nicely done.
Yeah, that’s a pretty good indicator of me in general. Can’t stand to have something not right :) Thanks!
Those old boards should be replenished with Japanese solid caps for long durability!
I do know my cap kits I use are high-quality Nichicon from arcadepartsandrepair.com but not much more than that. The game boards themselves will often have specific cap kits as well, although I don’t think most board repairers worry too much about them unless there’s a specific problem, particularly boards like Gorf that blow out tantalum fuses with regularity. I’ll keep accumulating knowledge about it. Thanks!
Absolutely incredible resto! If I hadn't seen it, then I don't think I'd believe it! Great work!
It is a little hard to believe looking back at the original condition, but it definitely came out great. Thanks!
Whenever my brother is using his vacuum soldering gun, it sounds like he just ate 15 Taco Bell burritos.
Outstanding video!! Great production value . I know it takes time to film and edit and you did a great job . I am surprised I just found your channel. I will subscribe. I think it was cool that you fixed that roached out cabinet and didnt just make new sides. I wasnt sure how you were going to do it but it turned out great. Also thought it was cool you kept the side art.
I would like to see your Turbo sit down . That was my favorite game.
Thanks! I try to make videos as interesting as possible so that certainly requires a lot of filming and editing down. But definitely for an audience that wants something deeper than just a quick summary. Glad you liked it and hopefully I can keep finding fun stuff to make videos about. You can see a little more of Turbo in my collection walkthrough video. It’s one of my early best memories of going to the arcade when I was a kid.
Just wanted to say thanks for saving a part of gaming history and keeping this gem out of the landfill.
Thanks!
I’m in no way a video game person but I do enjoy watching a person that has a passion for what they do and you definitely fall into that category!
You see that glowing joystick, I would do the same for the player select and the the spinner. Good restoration 😎
Hey Tod! Your restoration of the Tron video game arcade is absolutely stunning. I was captivated by the transformation you achieved, and I want to thank you for sharing it with us. Your work is truly inspiring.
It's incredible to hear that one of these units made it all the way to Zimbabwe Bulawayo in the early 1990s. It's a testament to the lasting impact and allure of these classic arcade games. The fact that they reached places like Zimbabwe truly showcases the power of imagination and the universal appeal of gaming.
I'm in awe of the value you placed on preserving this piece of history. It's not just about the monetary costs, but the intrinsic value that these games hold for so many people. You've done an amazing job in saving precious memories and preserving the history of gaming.
Sending warm greetings and best wishes from Cape Town, South Africa. Keep up the fantastic work, Tod!
Thanks so much and that is crazy. It’s definitely a special part of arcade history. Glad to have a viewer from so far away-amazing how video games help tie the world together :)
I was very good at this game.
Looks like a KAGA monitor if my memory serves me. I used to fix a lot of CRTs, but in this case, this is one time where I would stray from original and go LCD
It's a pretty straightforward Wells-Gardner K4900 which is luckily not too hard to work on. This monitor came from a Tron cab that had been switched to LCD and turned into a multi-game arcade unit.
@@tcurtis49 I remember the wells gardeners with the flyback mounted off the PCB, on one of the metal mounting bars. Those flybacks never failed, but the G07-CB0 CRTs had flybacks that blew all the time. I started soldering a 10K ohm 1/2 watt resistor across the bulk cap because Electrohome put the fuse after the bulk cap so it stayed fully charged even when the fuse blew. The 10K would discharge the cap safely. Bad design.
@@rickpontificates3406 It’s pretty standard practice to replace the flyback any time you do even a cap kit on the G07-CB0s-they do fail all the time. You can see how I handled the B+ cap in one on my old Atari 5200 kiosk video as that was in the unit. Fuse blown and monitor probably hadn’t been on in years but huge pop shorting across it with a screwdriver. If you don’t have any advance warning you can really get a surprise. Definitely bad design.
Impressive restoration. I really appreciated the inclusion of all of the fails and troubleshooting. Too many restoration videos skip the "warts." Well done.
I feel the same way. You learn from your own mistakes and shortcomings and from watching others. I don’t mind sharing my missteps :)
Awesome video Tod! I was nervous when I saw the cabinet, but you worked magic.
I was also nervous when I saw the cabinet. It’s one thing to see some damage in auction pictures, another to see big chunks missing in person :)
This is honestly the best video I’ve seen all year! I don’t know why it came up as suggested, but I’m so glad it did.
Thank you!
I don't understand the algorithm either, but I'm happy you liked it. Thanks!
Excellent Work👌👊🍻
🙌 Wow, what an awesome restoration job! Total nostalgia. We should also take a moment to say thank you to all the wives out there who support their spouses craftmanship! Mine let's me do all kinds of shenanigans, string parts and various items around the house, and use our living space for my "projects". Thank you 'cool' wives!!! 😎
Mine is definitely one of the coolest! Thanks!
Dang this video brought back some memories, the hours I spent hanging out at the local arcade and the quarters I pumped into this game.
Great memories!
Now you've built a plastic case out of the chipboard case. For the cost of repairing the wood you can get brand new wood ;). But at least you can say that it's almost original. Almost a sculpture. Well done. It'll last another 40 years. 🤩 No one can say that you have no respect for the Tron machine 👍
Well, only a small bit is resin (relatively), and that's what chipboard contains anyway, and I added the wood chips back, but I get what you mean :) I really considered cutting new sides but thought I'd give it a try and I was really pretty happy with the repair. Easy? No... Satisfying? Yes :)
Good job saving it from being de-rezzed.
Great video! I love watching arcade restorations and TRON is my all time favorite movie and arcade cabinet. One small note: Get yourself some flux for doing anything with soldering. It will help immensely in keeping the solder joints clean and prevents cold solder joints - which I saw you make with the first re-capping.
Thanks! The flux is built into the solder and flows easily. Perhaps it would be better to have it separate but I definitely love the stuff I use. I’ll research it a bit.
The “memory glitches” are used by the processor because they ran out of RAM during development, so they used the video ram, it’s supposed to be hidden by monitor adjustments just like you did!
Yes--that's what I've come to find out. And a great relic of just how tight code had to be to fit in such limited memory back then.
Back in the 1980's, Tron and Satan's Hollow were the arcade games I played more than any other. Ms. PacMan came in third.
I never played Satan’s Hollow but certainly gave many quarters to Tron. Gorf was my favorite of that era, although I remember standing in line to play Pac-Man while it was popular.
That was a great restoration on the Tron arcade game!!! I love it. It brings back memories of when I was a kid playing in the arcade at the mall back in the early to mid and even late 80's.
OH MY GOD! I wanted to watch a Tron arcade build while I put together my Arcade1Up Tron at home and suddenly I see the mystery seller from the end of Nintendo Quest! Very happy to find your channel! What a killer collection! Funny if tragic story: I once drove up to help my buddy Callan with his arcade repairs at his warehouse maaaaaaany years ago, and I drove up to his loading dock just in time to see a full size environmental Discs of Tron wobble off the ramp and take a header straight onto the concrete. It was a high loading dock and the machine didn't stand a chance. Exploded like it was made of Legos. Talk about traumatizing. I'm glad to see this classic Tron get some TLC! Cheers!
Haha yes I am the mystery seller from Nintendo Quest :) And that is traumatizing about the EDOT! Thanks for the cool comment!
I just watched this entire video lol. This was my favorite game as a kid...great work!
Glad you liked it :) And it is definitely a classic!
Wells gardner monitor. Used to repair those games and monitors back in the 80's. Repaired thousands of them. Still have my blue soldapullt.
I’m always happy to work on old WG monitors. Got 2 G07s on the table right now. Haven’t seen one I couldn’t repair yet :)
This is the content I come for - what a fantastic restoration. Criminal that this only has 5.k likes. Top work, sir. 👍
Thanks! The channel is growing steadily now…consider that for the 1st 6 months the Tron video only had 1000 total views. So I’m happy people are watching now at all! Thanks!
I had COMPLETELY forgotten about Satan's Hollow. Thanks for the awesome memory bomb!!
I need to start playing it. I tested it out and haven’t gotten to it again. It does look like fun :)
One of my college buddies and I played this game every day after classes for probably a year. I absolutely loved it. Great job with the restoration. I just found your channel and I look forward to other restorations. thanks
That’s really cool. It’s a great game for sure. Glad it brought back memories for you like it did me :)
What a gorgeous cabinet. You did a bang up job bringing it back to life!
Thank you!
GREAT VIDEO!!! I love your format. No BS joking between a bunch of hicks (like in some restoration vids I've seen), just straight-forward "Here's what's wrong and this is my solution". I was wondering what you would do about those side panels. Simple, yet effective. Ingenious even. Also, I have never heard of Atlanta, Illinois. I Googlemapped it and saw where it was. Such a small burg I'd never have known it was there and I spent a year and a half at a crap radio station in Decatur just a short distance away. I am now subscribed and will be watching more. Pleased to meet you.
Well done. Thank you for using your gifts to restore these pieces of history. :)
Thanks!